"RANGER THE PUPPY."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20768, 10 January 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

"RANGER THE PUPPY."

-Original. By MAVIS E. PADGET, Rajah, the cattledog, lay contentedly in tho sun watching the antics of her monthold son Ranger. Doggy love shone in her eyes as slio watched him. Really, she thought, he's not a bad puppy, and much fluffier than tho dogs on the noxt farm. Why, they were two weeks older than Ranger. Just then Ranger jumped into the ditch and rolled in the mud. " You naughty puppy," scolded his mother, pulling him out and dropping him in the water-can. " Bow-wow!" sobbed Ranger. "I don't like this —it's wet." "Bo quiet!" said Rajah, lifting him out and commencing to lick him dry. " You make mo ashamed I'm a dog," sho went on, " no respectable dog rolls in the mud or runs away from ;i kitten. There now, run and play with Marianne." Willi yelps of delight Ranger bounded towards the farmer's daughter and grabbed her dress in his strong little teeth, and pulled as hard as he could. Pour-year-old Marianne pulled too, with tho result that the dress tore badly. "Bow-wow!" barked Ranger, "this is great fun. Let's do it again." But little Marianne knew something was wrong when her dress tore, so she ran weeping into tho house. Out camo tho farmer's wife carrying a big stick. Crack! crack! Ranger's barks brought Rajah on the scene and hot shame surged from her nose to her tail. Picking her baby up by the neck sho carried him dejectedly back to the kennel.

" I don't know what to make of you," she said, waggling her cars sorrowfully. " But I didn't know her fur would tear, mummio. Yours doesn't." " You haven't any sense," she whined. " I believe the dogs 011 the other farm are better than you after all." Later in the day, while exploring tho farm, Ranger found Marianne toddling out too, so together the pair roamed round till they came to the duck-pond. Marianne picked up a stone in one chubby fist and threw it into the water. Finding it did not come up tho little lady prepared to step in after it. Sho put ono foot in, but before she could get any further Ranger seized her skirt and pulled backwards. " Cfmc back!" ho barked, remembering his own experience. "It's wet. Woof! Woof!"

Marianne was up to her waist in water and horribly frightened. Sho began to weep and her wails brought her mother mi the scene. " Oh, you clever puppy," she said, holding her small daughter close, " come and have some milk." In the kennel that night Rajah licked her puppy extra carefully. " You aro a true dog!" she said, " and much better than the dogs on tho next farm." Ranger went happily to sleep.